India's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover post the almost concurrent retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill was injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard display in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second series sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a spot in the WTC final.
The latest loss to South Africa risks harming the team's chances of reaching the decider of this cycle as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that helped spin and aided their squad, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars take part, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but inadequately to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
